The first twisted and futuristic novel in the perennially popular New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.
In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.
With breathtaking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines complex moral issues that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.
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"This book touches on genetics, abortion, runaways, a dystopian future, kids vs. adults and more. It is darker than usual with exciting plot development. A group of runaways is trying to fight laws that allow teens to be unwound -- taken apart for their physical parts - without their consent."
— SCPL (5 out of 5 stars)
“Gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller…The issues raised could not be more provocative—the sanctity of life, the meaning of being human—while the delivery could hardly be more engrossing or better aimed to teens.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)" Amazing story. If you really pay attention it is actually quite philosophical and I think it is an amazing read "
— Nineveh, 2/18/2014" A fun "Adults are out to get us" scifi read, with a well-visualized world, but clanking big plausibility issues with how we supposedly got there from here kept me from giving it a higher mark. "
— Katherine, 2/4/2014" This was a really good book since I've read in awhile. I've never read any Neal Shutersman books until i read this one. I finished the book in like two days and all i had to say was..Oh My God. I was so surprised in the ending. I can't wait to read the second book! "
— Fatima, 1/28/2014" I found this book good in a creepy way. "
— Emily, 1/26/2014" This was really good, and seriously thought provoking. It brings up a lot of questions about abortion, life, souls, and conception. It was really interesting as a general concept. I would recommend it highly to anyone who asked. "
— Maggie, 1/20/2014" This book was exiting, and disturbing. It was along the same premise of Baby Never Let Me Go, but much more action packed. Surprises all the way through too. Fun read "
— Kendra, 1/17/2014" Controversial, wish it wasn't banned in the classroom! "
— Amber, 1/11/2014" DW: Very good. It's a frightening premise on the whole, so I think best for at least ages 12 and up. A potential rape scene is implied, and some kissing also. "
— Fplyouth, 1/10/2014" I was very impressed by the ideas and the characterization in this novel. "
— Aramis, 1/5/2014" I LOVED this book. I am so excited to read the sequels. I had no idea there was another book until I just saw it on here!!! I am very into adventure so Unwind was just for me. I would definitely read it again. The characters in it were so interesting. "
— Olivia, 11/23/2013" Awesome book!! cant wait to read the next one! "
— Liza, 10/25/2013" Definitely high on the creepy scale. Not a book for kids under, wow, I'm just not sure it's for kids at all. I don't think I'll read the sequels, I've spent too long in that world already. I can't believe I missed the book group discussion on this one. I bet it was great! "
— E, 6/12/2013" Really poorly written. Don't bother. "
— Step, 5/2/2013" This would be an interesting book club discussion. What is life? That is the big question of the book. As a parent how much say do we have in a child's right to exist? Interesting book. "
— Tanja, 9/28/2012" Couldn't put it down! Read it in a day! Once you get past the creepy factor, it brings up many thought provoking questions about society and politics, wish I had a book club to discuss it with! "
— Alexis, 5/16/2012" I was super scared about this book. I had to stop reading for a minute just to stop breathing loudly. So I have to say that I really don't read these books, but this one was like wow. "
— Monet, 5/15/2012" I really liked the ending! There was definitely closure, and even though it was disturbing at parts, it wasn't too nightmare-inducing. "
— Roxanne, 2/18/2012" This was such a good book. I thought the storyline was very unique. Reading the book was quick and straightforward. An absolute page-turner. I really enjoyed it and I am definitely going to continue reading the other books preceding this one. "
— Nicole, 12/20/2011" disturbing but thought provoking, didnt get very attached to the characters. "
— Molli927, 11/16/2011" Overall I liked the book and thought that the story line was very interesting. "
— Challene, 11/1/2011" In a world where children can be recycled, some teens look for a voice of their own. "
— Hannah, 7/23/2011" It kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. You can't ask for more. "
— Drucilla, 5/20/2011" Superb. I read this a while ago so I sort of forget it, but, this book is well worth your time. Absolutely, superb. "
— Hannah, 5/20/2011" I loved the story. The plot was great, but the writing...ugh. I (personally) thought it was written very poorly. Even the characters weren't written well. Shame. "
— seekitlikesilver, 5/20/2011" This was so good. It had a really freaky part that stayed in my head for a whole day. I enjoyed it a lot. "
— Alison, 5/19/2011" It was Ok..but nothing special. Wasn't a page turner for me but kept my attention long enough to finish. I guess some of the events were supposed to lead up to the final chapters...but the ending seemed abrupt and unnatural to me. "
— Deena, 5/18/2011Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker trilogy, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his series Arc of a Scythe, was named a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. Visit Neal at StoryMan.com and Facebook.com/NealShusterman.
Luke Daniels, winner of sixteen AudioFile Earphones Awards and a finalist for the Audie Award for best narration, is a narrator whose many audiobook credits range from action and suspense to young-adult fiction. His background is in classical theater and film, and he has performed at repertory theaters around the country.